‘Ladies with Letters’ take inquiry call to Stormont

The ‘Ladies with Letters’ group delivered their own letters to MLAs this week, appealing for Stormont’s support in their campaign for a statutory public inquiry into the cervical smear scandal.

The timing of their visit to Parliament Buildings was significant, as it marked one year since 17,500 women were sent a letter from the Southern Trust informing them that their cervical screening test may have been read incorrectly.

The ‘Ladies with Letters’ group delivered their own letters to MLAs at Stormont as they step up their campaign for a statutory public inquiry.

placeholder image — The ‘Ladies with Letters’ group delivered their own letters to MLAs at Stormont as they step up their campaign for a statutory public inquiry.

A statement on behalf of the group, which represents women from right across the Southern Trust area, said that despite the passing of 12 months “unbelievably we still do not have the answers to basic questions such as how this was allowed to happen, why was it allowed to continue for a shocking 13 years, and who is going to take responsibility?”.

“Some of the Ladies with Letters have delivered 90 letters – one for each of the 90 MLAs – to ask them to support us in our quest for a statutory public inquiry.

"The Trust have confirmed that over 300 ladies had their test misread. These ladies were denied the opportunity for early detection and treatment and many have had to have very invasive procedures, including hysterectomies, carried out as a direct result of failings in the cervical screening programme, by the Trust and Public Health Agency.”

The group said that the scandal had cost ladies like Erin Harbinson and Lynsey Courtney, two members who passed away following battles with breast cancer, their lives.

"The Trust have continually separated ladies into two groups: those 17,500 in the Review group and those ladies who developed cervical cancer and are part of an invasive cancer audit.

"However, we are all one group of women subject to the same failings in the same laboratory over the same time period.

"This separation of the two groups has caused confusion, isolation for ladies and masked the true extent of the impact of the failings.

"Going forward, a statutory public inquiry is the only way to reassure the public, help restore some confidence in the cervical screening programme and ensure that women in Northern Ireland are never subject to anything like this again.”